So if your a McMaster alumni you've heard of the management option offered at mcmaster in exchange for an additional year of schooling. Now iv heard a lot of pros and cons so I thought I'd take it to the people who can speak from experience. Whether you've been through the program, or didn't and happy you didn't, or even didn't and wish you did your input is welcome.

1) upon graduation are there any immediate benefits ? Later in ones Career ?
2) can it do things for you that were just uneatable for someone who didn't go throughout with it?
3) is the years credit towards an MBA applicable to other schools besides mcmaster ?
4) I know some company's would pay for their employee's MBA schooling, is this common ? And if so a worthy reason to not go through with management
5) FINAL THOUGHTS ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY, AND AN OVERALL CONCLUSION ON IF ITS WORTH IT OR NOT.

1) NO BENEFITS AT ALL! YOU GO STRAIGHT ITO A JOB DIRECTLY INTO YOUR ORIGINAL FIELD, OR OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING AN ENTRY LEVEL BUSINESS JOB
2)NOPE
3)YES, BUT REALLY? YOU CAN GET AN M.Eng IN THE SAME TIME FRAME
4)GET A M.ENG, M. ENG IS FAAAAAR BETTER THAN M.BA, and YOU CAN GET AND M.ENG DEGREE IN THE SAME TIME AS MBA
5) JUST DONT!

USUALLY PEOPLE TAKE MANAGEMENT JUST TO LIGHTEN THE WORKLOAD FOR ENGINEERING, IT ADDS NOTHING TO THE DEGREE. AND IT IS NOT A DOUBLE DEGREE

It all depends on what your future goals and interests are. If you're more interested in pursuing your masters and phd than it will not really benefit you, however if you desire a more managerial role in a company than it will be beneficial. I really enjoy the program because I like business courses, a lot of people take it because they think it will be a great benefit but they don't actually like business. If you don't, then don't do the program. One of the primary reasons I got my last co-op position was the fact I am in management.

1 extra year is not a big deal. If you plan on doing co-op you're going to need 5 years anyways before you graduate, least this way it opens 1 extra summer so you can do your co-op then.

I also really like it because you'll take courses from other faculties and get to do projects with a lot of different disciplines. Like i have group projects with business students, projects with ECE students, and projects with students from other eng faculties (civil, mech, tron, etc). It helps expand your network which will also be very helpful when you apply for jobs later on.

Also it does make your workload easier compared to straight engineering, I find that this does boost your GPA.

I wouldnt listen to ralts40. If you plan on going into industry then an understanding of management is far more useful than a masters. An m.eng makes sense for research jobs or possibly for the more research heavy fields like biomed, biochem, phys etc. But in general its useless for industry and will lower your chances of getting a job.

As for the whole you can get an mba direct anyways so why bother with management? ... I find this is the mindset of first years and commerce profs (if you ask them). As you gain work experience you will realize that an mba without real work experience is totally useless. In this way the management program has an edge ... it distinguishes yourself without making you "overqualified".

One thing to consider ... Coop is by far the best thing an engineer can do. If you dont do several 4 month coops then you should seriously consider a 16 month coop. As such your 5 year degree would then be 6 years. That said an extra year isnt much.

As for companies paying for an MBA ... yes it is very common. I work for one myself. Keep in mind though that its usually after a few years working there and you would be expected to take it via night classes.

I did NOT take management (not available with my program). But I could see it being very useful if you want to go into product management, or see yourself going down a managerial route. That said I am not sure if it is worth the extra cost (1 year time, 1 year more tuition ~9k, possibly living expenses etc). Thats up to you. I suggest going to the career nights and ask company representatives if they would find it useful and get a real honest answer from industry. These are starting up now!! (so get ur resume together)

Just Dont

I somewhat agree with ralts40.

If anyone thinks having Management in their diploma will make them any more competitive compared to a person that might not have Management degree, but instead Bachelor or Master's degree with several years in the field behind their back, they are wrong.

Management will only make you eligible for entry level accounting position. It will also make it easier for you to switch to business later on, which is what a lot of people in Management do.

Now, being in Management I can tell you that the work load there is a nightmare, and the fact that Engineering and Commerce courses couldn't be any more different from each other doesn't help either. What I mean by that, is that chances are your marks are gonna be hit really hard. At best your the marks you get in Management courses will be around the same as your average, which otherwise would have been higher if you didn't take Management.

So the question of whether or not you should go into management should sound something like that:

"Do I want to spend extra 10+ grand to sit in University to get courses that, at best, won't make me any more competitive by bringing my average down. The year that you could have spent on co-op, or other courses of interest that would help you with your career."

If you find great interest in business and plan to go that route, then by all means take management.

It does expand your knowledge of the financial side. Could be useful for consulting or project management. How much does it help you? Some since it is knowledge. Does it give you a huge advantage? Little to none. I see jobs looking for people in a management program but that's about it. What's more important is what you've done/your experience

Just because something is too hard for someone else doesn't mean it will be for you. Course descriptions are available on the undergraduate calender, look at them. If they sound interesting to you and think it is something you would enjoy learning than do it. You will most certainly find way in which they will prove to be beneficial if you really have an interest.

Honestly, in the end of the day it does not matter if you don't care. Its all about you and how you apply yourself.

I read RSK1's forum last year.. I saw that he was thoroughly pissed cuz he chose the worst program and regretted his life to the extreme of nealy being suicidal. So, he wants you to have the same moment as him, trust me and ignore his ideas

Yeah I was pissed because they changed the cost of tuition out of nowhere. But that's life, I learned to take advantage of it.

All I ever heard was "oo this program is tough, oh electrical is so hard". BS, the system is a joke if you know how to get ahead. I have 11.8 average, and make more than enough money from coop to pay tuition and then some.

Take my advice or not. I don't regret my decision.

I guess to sum up what I'm really looking for is rapid advancement in industry. Will going through management allow for a faster promotional climb, compared to someone with out. I know coop's are the most important thing, and I plan on getting at least a years worth.

So will going through the management role facilitate rapid career growth ? And I mean taking night classes while working 40 hrs a week seems pretty rough...would it be better to get it now ? Or would I just be getting ahead of myself.

Originally Posted by RSK1

One of the primary reasons I got my last co-op position was the fact I am in management.

That's quieter interesting, so they specifically desired students in management. Mind sharing the details of your coop, the company, where you worked, tasks etc.. And also what year are you in and have you received full time job offers ? If you have, do any reflect the benefits of management.

I, like you, enjoy business courses but I mean I find a lot of fields interesting so interest isn't quite the issue for me. Really, I just want to know if there's an eventual return on the investment.

Thanks for your feedback so far been very helpful

First co-op I got, was aided by the fact that manager liked management aspect of it. Second co-op I got, i dealt with financials of developing new products and projects I was working with. I could have spent two weeks researching details when the task was assigned, or understood 95% of it when it was given thanks to management. Current job, boss really liked management once I explained what it is, which I think helped me get it (supervisory/management role).

In some fields, it might mean nothing. In others, it might give you the tiniest leg up compared to someone else. Depends on what you make of it.

1) Minor. Depends on what your projects are and who you worked with. Do projects that are hard and with companies where you do actual work, and you can get offered jobs before you graduate.
2) No. Pretty much everything other than networking and experience can be learned online.
3) No clue.
4) Depends on company and job.
5) I thought management broke up engineering courses into 5 years instead of 4, making it a lot easier.

First co-op I got, was aided by the fact that manager liked management aspect of it. Second co-op I got, i dealt with financials of developing new products and projects I was working with.

So how much actual "Engineering" do you do? Can this position be taken by someone with business education, so I don't waste my Engineering education?

I guess that's the most important questions anyone who wants to go into Management has to ask himself.

Originally Posted by GeorgeLucas

So how much actual "Engineering" do you do? Can this position be taken by someone with business education, so I don't waste my Engineering education?

I guess that's the most important questions anyone who wants to go into Management has to ask himself.

I'm pretty sure in an engineering related corporation, for an entry level position, a B.Eng + Mgmt looks a tad nicer than just a business bachelors.